A Scorpion's Serenade
by MangaTheatreShanPrincess2014
Summary: "All these words you were meant to say; held in silence day after day...sing it out so I hear…I want to free your heart, I want to see your heart…please don't keep your heart hidden away." Deidara has forever known Sasori as the epitome of wooden; dull, emotionless, boring - just like his puppet exterior. He's an explosive brat, but only he can make his Danna feel human.


**Warning: **Rated T for swearing, shounen-ai/yaoi, OOC, some AU and light angst. Mostly SasoDei, 1st person alternate POV. Fluffy songfic. Some indirect ItaSasoDei**. **Oneshot. **NO LEMONS.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters which are in this fic. The featured song "Hidden Away" was written by Josh Groban for his 2010 album, _Illuminations_. Nor do I own the musical_ Avenue Q_.

* * *

**Minasan, konnichiwa! I am a brand new fanfiction author for Naruto. I am a seventeen year old girl from Australia. This is my first fanfiction I have ever written. All comments and constructive criticisms (****no flaming****) are much appreciated. If you find any editing mistakes, or have any ideas you would like to recommend, please tell me in a comment, forum or PM and I will get back to you ASAP. Sorry for the long Oneshot. Thank you.**

***Just so you know, I do know Tobi joins after Sasori dies, but I wanted to include him.**

* * *

**DEIDARA**

My best friend, the puppet, is a human underneath.

I know it.

We know it.

He knows it himself, even though he won't come to his senses and admit it.

After all, he was the one who turned himself to hollow wood - his so-called work of art - in the first place, abandoning his village with it. It wasn't a bright idea to begin with - as far as I could tell - he purposely put himself an immortal spell which in no way can he reverse. _Baka, _much? Geez.

The worst part about it all is that it's my Danna's birthday and yet he's the one huddled under his duvet refusing to come out. The rest of us are in the foyer, presents and music hidden behind our backs, and I'm sitting here in our bedroom trying to include him in the fun - since we're all at home for a change. The fact he's the impatient one (who hates waiting) is ironic enough.

"Sasori-Danna," I say.

Silence.

"Sasori-Danna," I say again, louder this time. "Get up."

Again, silence.

"Hello? I'm speaking to you!" I say, tapping the hard lump under the blankets. "Please, answer me, Danna."

". . ."

"_Danna."_

Still, silence.

I roll my eyes. "Fine, don't speak to me then," I says. "You're just boring. Lifeless."

And then, there's a muffled, "Go away."

"I'm not leaving," I say.

I hear him sigh.

Silence.

At that moment, I grab the blanket and force it off him, exposing his wooden skin. "Oi, Sasori no Akasuna. What are you hiding under there, un?"

"Just put the darn blanket back on, brat," he says. He rolls over and looks up at me with blank brown eyes, clutching his iPhone in hand. "I'm _exhausted_."

"Hmph," I say. "_Kudaranai. _You haven't had a single fight in months. I'm not falling for it."

"Whatever," he says. His eyes transfer to the ceiling. "I'm mentally blocked."

I groan. "Come on! It's your _birthday_, for goodness' sake," I say, taking the phone out of his hands; place it on the nightstand. "Can't you be the slightest bit more_ affable _for a change?"

"Affable?"

"I meant happy!" I say. I wince at my vocabulary. "Surely, it's not because you're getting_ older_, un…"

He spits a sarcastic laugh. "Puppets don't age, you idiot."

"And it's kind of funny how _you're_ making _me_ wait for you, you know," I cajole him further. "Look, I don't mind waiting - yet _you're_ the one here who's wasting time."

A growl rips in his throat, and sits up immediately. He hates that phrase. It gets him.

"_Fine," _he says agitatedly, swinging his legs to the side of the bedpost.

He winds a hand in his shaggy auburn hair. "What's with the sudden urgency, Dei? I _told _you I don't _want_ a party - many times. Do you even listen?"

"It's not a birthday bash, I promise you, un." I extend my hand to touch his hollow arm. "So are you coming with me, or not? Or I'll drag you out of here..."

_"OK, OK…" _Why is he still so calm? He then snaps back into character. "Can we make this snappy then? I don't have all day."

I grab his cloak off the stand and hand it to him. "Obviously, you do," I say. "I caught you hiding under the covers, idling time away…"

"And what are _you _doing in here, loitering around?"

I take a breath. "I'm not going to argue," I say, folding my arms and leaning against the wall. "Just close your eyes and come with me."

He frowns. "Why?"

"You'll see."

He closes them. I wrap my gloved hands around him like a blindfold. We head out of the room.

Together.

Ready to celebrate.

* * *

**SASORI**

What the heck does Deidara want all of a sudden?

He's acting weird. Just saying. I've lost count over the many times the blonde-haired brat has interrupted me and my puppet collection, dragged me out of my room to pick a random fight - the only reason for the argument being so he can rant on and on about the stupid explosives he calls 'art.' There have even been times when I come home from a mission later than he does and he starts bombing the same old litany the minute I walk in the door. Sometimes I'm exhausted, and all I want is to quickly clean myself up and get back to working my eternal puppets. _Get back to business._

Nevertheless, I still feel glad to see his icy sky-blue eyes and cocky smirk greet me. Sure, he's narcissistic, calculating, mean, inconsiderate - perhaps even borderline clinically insane - that's my working-partner Deidara, who calls me lifeless and is a pain in the neck, plain and simple. But whether I like it or not, we're supposed to be friends, so I don't object.

"Danna," he says. "Stay here. Don't move anywhere."

I'm standing in a room somewhere in the Akatsuki House. In the dark shadows, I can feel the shaggy wool of the carpeted rug under my feet. I hear a table being moved. Gently. There's a rustling of paper and the tossing and beating of cushions, books being stacked. There's the crackling sound of a curtain parting, the sweeping of footsteps across the floor. A strange blinding light begins to dance behind my eyes.

_What's going on?_

"Brat," I say.

"What, un?"

"Can I open them?"

"Not yet."

"Hurry up then!" I say. "What's taking you so long?"

"Just one second…"

There's a flick of a light switch, and suddenly…

"SURPRISE!"

I jump and my eyes are forced open. I'm standing in the lounge, the entire furniture layout switched around. The sofas are facing forwards toward the upright piano at the front of the room. Kakuzu's prized glass table is moved to the side near the window, decorated with Konan's paper roses. The cabinet is shifted. The tatami mats are rolled up at the back of the room. The white fluffy clouds in the sky hang in the sunshine. The other members are scattered and suddenly I'm surrounded by people all chorusing "Happy Birthday, Sasori_" _over and over - completely un-rehearsed.

_Not again_, I think. I didn't ask for any of this.

"Brat," I mutter, tapping him on the shoulder. "What is this?" But I really mean, _when did you get up to doing this?_

He ignores my question, flicking his long blonde hair off his shoulder. "Just go with it, Sas," he whispers. "It's supposed to be fun."

I hear Hidan, the shirtless Jashinist laugh. "You should've heard yourself, Deidara-_chan_," he says. "Showing off your vocabulary, princess? I f_ heard it, 'Can't you be the slightest more _affable.'_"

"I'm not a girl, un!" Deidara yells at him. "And for the last time, I'm a well-educated genius_. Leave it."_

_Never mind._

I try to look happy as we hurry to the centre of the room, filled with small parcels and envelopes - except for Itachi, who goes up to the upright piano at the front of the room, hands fluttering over the keys in a "Happy Birthday" variation melody.

I sit cross-legged on the carpet, among the parcels on the carpeted rug - struggling to decide which one to open.

"Mine's the biggest one," Deidara says. "Save that one last." I raise an eyebrow. _Why?_

Tobi, the spiral-masked idiot shuffles forward on his knees, pushing an envelope into my lap. "Tobi hand-drew the card because Tobi is a good boy," he says.

I pick at the envelope and I am greeted with an ugly, kiddish picture of himself with Deidara and me. Tobi cannot draw. End of. In messy handwriting inside, it reads:

_dear sasori_

_Tobi wishes you a very happy birthday to you. Tobi is a good boy. You are my friend :)_

_hope you have the best day. x, Tobi._

And he's a terrible writer.

At least he can spell.

"Um… It's uh… very sweet of you," I say. "Thanks…"

He gets up to his feet. "Tobi spent the entire morning in the kitchen baking cupcakes for you," he says. "Tobi is a good boy. Tobi's coming back in a min—"

"Cupcakes?" I blurt.

He nods. "Tobi is making nice Red Velvet cupcakes. My signature recipe - they should be good."

I bite my lip. "I'm a puppet. I don't need to eat."

_Shut up, Sasori, _I think. _You're rude._

"Sorry," I put a hand over my mouth, trying to cover my faux pas. "You go check them then."

"Whoops. Tobi was just being nice." He shrugs, goes downstairs out of earshot anyway.

For a second, a tiny craving rushes through me.

"What's next?"

I pick my way through tape and wrapping, revealing more ugly presents (apart from Konan's which is a bouquet of neatly folded paper flowers). Minutes pass and I read card after card which all seem to say the same thing. A waste of time to read. I'll tell you these presents:

Itachi: _Flute Concerto in G major _by Mozart - sheet music for me to "use my intellect." He's a composer/musician in his spare time, which is kind of typical. Besides, it's true Mozart hated the flute.

Kisame: slithers of shaved wood to make my puppets, which he used his Samehada to log the trees down. Maybe not so helpful.

Hidan: a blood-stained card with a replica of a Jashin ring, along with a hateful birthday message: "_Happy f_ birthday, Pinocchio. I hate you and I wish to kill you. Hidan." _Thanks.

Kakuzu: a broken pencil and a tawdry sketchbook probably only worth two ryō altogether. Or less. Stingy.

White Zetsu: a ragdoll. No comment.

Leader-Sama (Pein): a framed collage featuring dorky, silly pictures of the brat and I. At least that has some value, I guess.

And then the last one, the brat pushes his parcel - the biggest parcel - in front of me. "Here's birthday present Part One."

I carefully pull the ribbon and pick the paper open, fully expecting another one of his clay sculptures. My mouth puckers up with more false thank-yous. And then I lift the lid, and inside, is something I'd never guess he'd give me…

A new glove-and-rod puppet.

_Hand-stitched. _

It's not just any regular puppet.

Its body is moulded with expandable foam and fleece. Its fabric skin is soft. The fuzzy wool hair is glued on. The eyes are stitched around the edges. Even his clothes are perfect.

I don't know what to say.

I can't say anything at all.

My best friend nods shyly. "I really wanted to get hold of those tickets to see _Avenue Q_ musical, un," he says. "Unfortunately those tickets online get sold out way too fast. It's annoying."

"What?" I say. "Since when did you find out they were coming here? Geez, Dei. I didn't…"

"It was _ages_ ago," he says. "They're _dead _popular. By the way, I managed to figure it out how to make Princeton."

He pulls off his fingerless gloves, and his hand mouths stick their tongues out - drooping with exhaustion.

His fingertips are callused and dry.

Why hadn't I noticed?

"Whatever happened to you?" Leader-Sama asked. "You argue over Sasori's puppets to no end!"

"OK, OK," Deidara sighs. "I _know_ I'm not into puppets. But I'll admit, though, I was pissed off when I couldn't get those tickets, and Kakuzu wouldn't lend me a single dollar."

"Excuse me?" asks Kakuzu.

"…So, after doing some research, I ransacked my own savings," he says, ignoring him. "I ordered the fabric so I could _make_ a replica of Princeton instead. Seeing as I suck-ass at sewing, it took me _ages_ to put the whole thing together, but I managed to finish it late last night, un."

"Thanks, brat," I said.

He laughs. "You're welcome."

_Since when did he become so… sweet? _

I am dreaming. Deidara would never do this. Right now, I'm in my room, hiding under the duvet checking my texts on my phone, surrounded by wood and puppets.

He's going to burst in and wake me up any minute, ready to argue with me all over again.

"Danna?" His fingers squeeze my shoulders. Hard.

"I'm still… here," I say. "Just a little shocked."

And it hits me.

I once told the brat in a game of Truth Or Dare that if I didn't change myself into a puppet, I'd be a professional stage actor; starring the part of Princeton in the puppet musical _Avenue Q_. I told him - in attempt to shut him up - I had a secret liking for Broadway Theatre: singing, dancing, acting. I wished I auditioned for that part. I dreamed to be part of it...badly.

_"Really?" he said. "Avenue Q? Isn't that like Sesame Street - only rated M?"_

_I nod._

_"Sasori is a pervert!" Tobi proclaimed in a mocking sing-song voice voice. "Naughty!"_

_"I'm not!" I said. "Now shut up."_

_"Well!" said Kisame. "You're not as shy as I thought you were. I'd think you'd be behind the scenes making the puppets for the stage."_

_I sighed. "I know," I say. "At the time I didn't know it was that...ahem... dirty-minded.__ It was only because they used puppets I wanted to be in it. Musicals and operas were the only thing I liked besides making puppets - my Granny Chiyo used to take me to the theatre as an excuse to get me out of my room. I liked seeing the set designs, props and the lighting."__  
_

_"You would be amazing," said Deidara. "If you were an actor, I'd make the trip to the theatre, steal the gold-star seats reserved for the Kazekage in the front row and watch you sing and dance to your heart's content onstage - and then sneak backstage to get a photo and an autograph after the show. If only your parents hadn't died, Danna, un."_

If only.

I only wish it were that way.

But it isn't.

I had dismissed his words.

"You might be a criminal-nin - but you don't have to wish to be a star, Danna, un," he says. "I already work alongside with one - you."

"That's so cute of you say, Dei," says Konan, looking up from her paper roses. I pass a glance at her - o_ut of character, much?_

The brat takes off his robe and hangs it on the edge of the sofa. He puts his fingerless gloves back on. Gently, he lifts Princeton out of the shoebox and puts his left hand up inside him. With the other he moves the rod, tapping Itachi who's sitting next to him - giving him a certain look. "Come on, let's do it. We've got to hurry."

_Do what?_

Itachi nods, and walks back to the piano again - rifling through his manuscripts on the music stand. Zetsu leaves the ring, yells down at Tobi from the staircase.

"Tobi!" Black Side yells. "Come back, you idiot! What are you doing down there?"

"_You'll be a bad boy for being late_," White Side adds. _"Hurry up, we've got a concert!"_

_What concert?_

Suddenly Tobi and Zetsu run back into the lounge room, sitting cross-legged on the floor. I am taken by the shoulder and sat on the forward-facing sofa - leaving my so-called presents on the rug.

"Stay there."

Deidara flicks his hair and takes the puppet to the piano. His glacier eyes are shining, kind of like the sunlight sparkling on sky-blue seas. Melting, slowly around the edges. "This won't take too long."

I am a puppet, a nobody. But I can feel a tingle where my spine should be. The scent of cupcakes downstairs drift in the air and I'm craving the food I don't need. There are warm arms around me, the temperature of skin against my own hollow limbs. I don't know what's happening.

I've never felt like this before.

* * *

**DEIDARA**

We're in the lounge and I'm standing at the front of the room with Itachi weasel-_kun_ behind me at the piano. There's butterflies fluttering in my stomach and my face feels as pink as a rosebush. In my ears I hear the blood swishing about in my head, and my heart pounding furiously under my stitched-up chest mouth.

_Don't let nerves get the better of you, Deidara, _I school myself. Oh come on. I've done a hundred missions where I have been rude to enemy shinobis which I barely know, told them straight to their faces that I blow will them out of their minds - literally - and kill them. Geez._ You're only singing in front of Sasori-Danna. No big drama._

I hate Itachi Uchiha, fair and square. No buts about it.

He was the guy who crushed my ego to pieces, and no matter how amazing his genjutsu is - his Sharingan eyes make me feel sick with defeat every time I look at them.

Many times, I've resorted to the clay and death threats against him and none of that ever worked. Now, I've got no choice but to get over him - for now, at least.

A month ago, when Princeton the puppet was half-finished, I was sitting at the island bench having borrowed Leader-Sama's iPad, Josh Groban's voice filling the empty downstairs lobby. When I asked him for the first time, he happened to be eavesdropping on the song I intended to singing anyway. It was blackmail and a promise:

_"Itachi."_

_Silence._

_"Itachi," I said again. _

_"Hn?"_

_"I need you to do a favour for me," I said. _

_"What?"_

_"Can you make your own voice-and-piano arrangement for this song?"_

_"Hidden Away, by Josh Groban," he mused, as if by instinct he knew. I closed the YouTube window. "I probably could. What about it?"_

_I hesitated. "I..."_

_And then he frowned at me. "Are you plotting something?"_

_"No."_

_"Why are you suddenly being nice to me for once, Deidara?" he said. "You __hate__ the Uchiha Clan because of me. You hate my guts. And now you're asking me to accompany you?" _

_I sighed. "Listen," I told him. "I'm not a music geek like you. I can't play piano or write songs. But you can, un. And I can sing a little …"_

_"Hn," he said. A slow, itchy smirk creeps across his lips. "Who is it for? Sasori?"_

_"SHUT UP!" I hissed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "It's fo— never mind. Not in that way, teme!"_

_"Hn."_

_"Remember two months ago when we played Truth Or Dare?" I say, trying to look past his eyes. "Sasori told us he dreamed of playing the part of Princeton in the musical _Avenue Q_?"_

_He nodded. "So it_ is_ for Sasori, then."_

_"Yeah. It's not really me to say this, but..."_

_I regaled him with the story of the online ticket-queue incident, and about my unfinished puppet present. I told him about my intended act, how I want to bring back his human emotions through this song. I told him how even though we rowed and argued, I wanted to show him how I still had his back, how much I still care for him - with music._

_"Hn..." he said. __"That's awfully sweet."_

_I pause, suddenly surprised. "So…" I said, "are you doing this for me, or shall I bomb you to death, un?" Like that was ever going to work anyway. Tsukyomi is ten times more powerful._

_He rolled his eyes, Sharingan activated. "I'll work on chord progression when I have the time—"_

_"No!" I said. "I mean, I know the lyrics already. Just do it. Now. We can practice later in your room or something…please?"_

_"OK," he said. "I'll do you a deal. Stop trying to pick a fight against me for the next month and I'll write the composition for you this afternoon. In return, I won't use the Sharingan on you again." _

_"Fine," I said. "I promise I'll be kinder to you. Let's make pact, then?"_

_I stand up, extending a hand. Itachi nods and hesitantly, he puts his in mine. Tentatively, my own hand plants a tiny kiss on his palm. "Let's do it."_

_I turn on my heel with the iPad, looking back. "DO NOT tell anyone about this. Not one word. If you do, I'll…" I drew a finger across my neck._

_"With the exception of Leader-Sama, of course," he says. "As you wish, mister. My lips are sealed." He raised an eyebrow at me, and went upstairs to the study._

_He has perfect pitch._

I watch as Itachi shuffles his handwritten manuscript - arranging the sheets of paper on the music stand in front of him.

"Danna," I tell Sasori. "I'm not the sort of person who likes puppets, but since it's your birthday, for once I'll do something I normally wouldn't do."

"_Nani?_ What?"

"So… here's the big moment of truth." I hold up the Princeton puppet, one hand in glove, the other with and turn to Itachi - who rests his fingers against the piano keys. I take a deep breath.

"For this part, I'm going to bring _my_ version of _Avenue Q_ in _here._ So here goes, birthday present part two. This is 'Hidden Away' by Josh Groban, arranged by Itachi, sung by me - Deidara."

Sasori-Danna stares at me in wonder. He's surprised. His eyes widen.

This song lasts for four minutes. I have four minutes to tell him that he's still my best friend - no matter how much I annoy him, or he annoys me. Four minutes to tell him how I'm grateful to have him as my partner, that I'm just as broken inside as he is.

Four minutes to make him feel alive - and human - again.

The silence in the lounge room is suddenly tense, apart from Tobi's clapping and yelling, "You can do this, Deidara-senpai!"

The pianist passes a glance at me. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, ready." I hold the puppet up on my left hand, manipulating the rod with the other.

The anticipated low chord sounds and the acoustics flow over the room, filling the entire lounge with music. At that point, I take a silent breath, close my eyes - my lungs yielding the first shaking baritone notes:

**_Over mountains and sky blue seas  
On great circles will you watch for me?  
The sweetest feeling I've got inside  
I just can't wait to get lost in your eyes_**

**_And all these words that you meant to say  
Held in silence day after day  
Words of kindness that our poor hearts crave  
Please don't keep them hidden away_**

I think of the times we spent together inside our bedrooms, outside the house, on a mission. I think of myself, Deidara - the person Sasori thinks of as the most annoying, explosive brat in the world who is mean, bitchy, cocky and rude to people, whether I know them or not. I think of my arguments with him, the way that I'm the one who picks useless fights, the way I take things the wrong way too hard, sometimes hauling bombs without thinking. Then there's Sasori, the epitome of wooden - boring, emotionless, dull - an introverted person who has no life, who believes firmly art is an evolution that lasts forever, and never ever grows old.

But that doesn't give me a right to hate his puppet-art. He's a person, and I still love him the way he already is.

**_Sing it out so I can finally breathe in,  
I can take in all you say  
Holding out for something i believe in  
All I really need today_**

**_I want to free your heart  
I want to see your heart  
Please don't keep your heart hidden away_**

The melody and the words keep on coming out from my lungs. With each breath, Princeton's mouth moves - and it's almost like he's come alive.

This is the rarest moment which Sasori will see me - paradoxically trying to preserve his human life, back to once upon a time where he did feel this way. These words I am singing are usually hidden away, and for once in a space of minutes I get to wear my heart on my sleeve. No arguments, no fights, no threats. Just sitting, listening and wondering. My partner I know is tired of me arguing, tired of trying to make himself better. He wants to be a star, and to me he already is - but he's not good enough for himself, no matter how hard he tries. He gave up trying years ago. He's silently angry at the world, he will not admit it. He cannot show it. Now he's stuck with me, an idiot who acts as though he's better than everyone else, wanting to put an end to the things he wants to preserve. It's common sense; if you have a problem, you solve it with words. All he did was discard the dispute with silence. Five years later of being partners, we're still neither wrong nor right. And I'm no better than he is. And there I am, attempting to fix the broken pieces from the inside - at the expense of breaking myself.

**_You're a wonder, how bright you shine._**

**_A flickering candle, in a short lifetime._**

**_The secret dreamer that never shows_**

**_If no one sees you, then nobody knows._**

**_And all these words you were meant to say_**

**_Held in silence day after day_**

**_Words of kindness that our poor hearts crave_**

**_Please don't keep them hidden away._**

There was a time where Sasori came into my room one night, and he pinned a deep question on me.

_"Brat," he said. "Are you awake?"_

_"What, un?"_

_"If you had time machine, where would you go?"_

_"I don't know, un," I replied, half asleep. "Maybe the future."_

_"Why is that?"_

_"Because, Danna," I say. "You can only dream about the future, un. Come what may - you never know."_

_"Even if it's something terrible?"_

_"I'd spend all my time surrounded with the people I have now."_

_He nodded, and turned on his heel. "Goodnight, Deidara-brat."_

**_Sing it out so I can finally breathe in_**

**_I can take in all you say._**

**_Reaching out for someone I believe in_**

**_All I really need today…_**

**_I want to feel your love_**

**_Will you reveal your love_**

**_Please don't keep your love hidden away._**

The four minutes are nearly over. Starting from his wooden feet, his white stirrups up, I paint a portrait of my best friend in my mind. I can see him sitting curled up on the couch, watching and listening. His blue leggings cover his strange hollow knees. I capture his straight torso and the impressions of wire underneath his robe - arching over where his stomach cavity should be. Then I see his arms, posed in position, his chin resting in his hands. I see his mouth, curved into an almost smile. His messy auburn hair hangs slightly askew, catching the rays of sunlight. His eyes are half closed, looking tranquil and at peace…

I take a breath and with my strength I break the ice, singing the last phrases:

_**I want to free your heart  
I want to see your heart  
Please don't keep your heart hidden away**_

_Katsu._

Itachi's hands flutter away from the piano keys. The final chord ricochets across the room and I bow. Then, my deadliest enemy swings himself off the chair and stands up, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Hey," he says. "I think you just defeated me that time."

I freeze.

I'm holding my breath.

I'm trembling inside….

I exploded it.

I did it.

I can't believe it.

_Get a grip, Deidara, _I think. _Don't turn on the waterworks. Pull yourself together. You hate Itachi._

Fat chance.

My grip on the puppet slips and I drop Princeton by my side, burying by face in my hands with shock, disbelief, happiness - eyes blinded by hot, salty tears.

The other members look at me like they've seen a ghost reincarnated from the dead. And then I hear the applause growing loud.

I had planned this long ago, out of earshot - and now the moment is over. It's something I would never do.

Yet, I'm the soft one who's crying now.

Sasori-Danna's eyes are open wide with shock. "Brat?" he says. But his voice is soft.

For the first time, I look up to see my best friend the puppet _smiling_. And _clapping. _I flinch. It's the happiest I've ever seen him.

"That," says Leader-Sama, "was_ huge_. Deidara, I didn't think….I have never seen anything like it."

"Tobi always knew Deidara-senpai could sing," says Tobi, stunned. I can hear cracks in his voice. He rises from the floor and rushes over to me, nearly bowling me over. "Please don't cry, senpai…"

"I'm not!" I lie, pushing him away. "Get off me, you pumpkin-headed idiot…"

"Why am I not f_ phased by that?" says Hidan. "How much girly and _pwetty_ can the little blondie get? Typical. She bloody _sings_ and then starts blubbing..."

"Now there's an idea," Kakuzu throws a stitched fist down. "A tiny concert at home - all for_ free_ too_."_

"I wasn't expecting that, Deidara," Kisame says. He turns to his own partner. "That was great, Itachi."

Itachi smiles. "Thanks, Kisame. And to you, Dei."

I shake my head. "I should thank you, Itachi,_" _I say him, tears still in my eyes. "The arrangement was brilliant. I still hate you, though."

Maybe not quite so much now.

Konan looks at me, misty-eyed. "Don't set me off, Dei, please," she says. "You'll make my paper soaking wet."

"Does anyone want Red Velvet cupcakes?" Tobi chips in suddenly. "They're in the kitchen downstairs if you want any."

A few of the members leave the room, discussing the performance.

_Such a selfless act, _Leader-Sama mutters. _Amazing._

Finally, Tobi leaves. He turns to me before he reaches the stairs. "Tobi will save you one, senpai," he says. "Zetsu-san, wait for me!"

My Danna rises from the couch. He walks over to me, leaning down to pick up Princeton. I get the handwritten manuscript and pass it to him. He faces me, our eyes staring each to each.

"Keep it," I say. "I hate Itachi, I know. But I made a pact with him to write this arrangement for you. I dedicate it to you, un."

He takes the sheet music. "I'd never think I'd _say_ this," he says, wiping my tears away. "It was only a moment - one truly incredible, amazing, fleeting, magical moment I'll remember forever."

Memories. That's one thing a human can have - and something an inanimate wooden puppet cannot.

* * *

**SASORI**

It's late at night and my best friend Deidara the brat has officially left me astounded.

The scene keeps replaying in my head, over and over again. As soon as he finished that song, I watched him throw down the puppet and weep quietly. Nobody has ever seen him let the tears come like that in front of anyone. Never before have I ever felt pure happiness (or human) in my life at all - at least, not for a long, long time - a smile being something I thought I had lost. At the same time, I had felt Deidara's tears coming. I wish I could let the bottled-up feelings go, but as a puppet, crying is something I simply can't do.

Or rather, the tears I already had shed were just hidden away.

"Brat," I whisper, knocking on his door. "Brat. Are you awake?"

The door creaks open in the darkness and I see Deidara's pale, almost feminine silhouette lying huddled under the twin-sized duvet. He rolls over and sits up so I can see his mucked-up mass of blonde hair and expressive sky-blue eyes shining like the stars on shadowed water.

"What is it, Danna, un?" he says.

"Nothing," I say, suddenly sheepish. "I'm still stunned by what you did this afternoon."

"Oh, that," he says, his pajama sleeve gliding over his brow. "That's the happiest I've ever seen you be."

"It was overwhelmingly beautiful," I agree, sighing. "And I've never seen _you_ cry so much."

My partner shakes his head. "I'm not the sort of person who cries over simple things, un," he says. "But then, maybe I'm not made of stone."

He pauses. A tiny smile graces his lips. "What about Princeton?"

I sit at the foot the bed, the cotton sheets stretched out between us.

I pull out Princeton from behind my back. "He can join, right?"

"Of course, un," he says. I sit him upright in the middle, facing towards my best friend.

There's a silence, Deidara is the first to break it.

"Danna," he says gently. "Can I tell you the real reason I did that?"

"I think I can guess," I say. "But I may be wrong."

"Tell me your version first, un."

"The greatest friend anyone could ever wish for," I begin, "is a person who has the ability to bring out the best in someone else, no matter what. Even if you think of them as boring, lifeless wood - you still care and love that person anyway for who they are. Even though I'm a puppet, it didn't give you a right to treat me any differently than you would respect any other human being."

I tell him the times we argued, the times he made me get mad at him, the times where he's been rude and inconsiderate, the times he's thrown his hands up in frustration - threatening to bomb the brains out of me. I tell him how sometimes leaves me slightly amazed and also the times when he's tried to crack lame jokes in front of me that have fallen flat. I tell him how he's tried to hug me, but I didn't let him. I tell him how I talk to my puppets about him, as though they were humans. And whenever I'm around my best friend, I admit I feel _human _too…

"Well said, Danna," he says. "For once you beat me to it, un."

"So I'm…right? Really?"

He nods. "Everything you said is true, un. You always bring out the best in me."

I crawl across the duvet and lie there next to him, gazing up at the stars above. The heat of his skin radiates off my best friend's body and I feel his warm arms around me. I wind my arms around him right back, melting against him in comforting hug. I smile at him again with the same happiness I felt today - a smile of sincere hope and friendship - a feeling which I don't think I could have enough of.

I hear his baritone again the way I heard it that afternoon, this time soft and lilting like a lullaby.

_I want to free your heart  
I want to see your heart  
Please don't keep your heart hidden away_

"Thank you, Dei-_kun_," I whisper. "For my birthday, for giving me back my emotions and the words I had hidden away. I guess I am human, after all."

Deidara says nothing. His eyes close and he looks peaceful. His breaths slow and deepen. A single teardrop slides down his cheek, glinting like a diamond in the moonlight. His reply is better unsaid.

So we fall asleep together - wrapped up and dreaming of the Scorpion's Serenade in each other's arms - with Princeton like a bridge between our living hearts.

- **THE END -**


End file.
